Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[junebuggena]

We went to Hood Canal for acouple of days and the water front home we rented, the cleaning lady daughter left us a dozen eggs from their home. Those eggs were super yummy and what we noticed right away was the yolk was a deeper orange.

Any advance on what to feed our chickens to get a deep orange yolk? I was kidding with my wife, maybe we should let them drink carrot juice.....

The deep orange color comes from the birds eating lots of greens and grass. Let them free range for a few hours before sundown each day, and you'll see the deep orange.
Feeding primarily feed or grains produces yellow yolks.

 

[ForrestGump]

My birds are on lock up right now because I'm rearranging pens and they need to learn where they live before I let them out to free range. I've been cutting grass for them to eat, but they said its not the same! Poor kids just want to go out and dig in the dirt.

 

[pennyJo1960]

does Beets or Beet greens cause problem for chicken?

Couldn't remember so just don't, didn't bother to look it at in google or here
either

 

[pennyJo1960]

Ours get orange eating grass.

good one to ask maybe how about the beets or beet greens

 

[Duck Drover]

Great timing on the hatching Duck Drover. 
Hopefully you will get the chicks you wanted.

The funny thing is we did not plan it this way, it just happened based on when we got the eggs and started them. My daughter said last night they were going to hatch today so I had her prepare the hatching incubator for lock down (she has been distracted with her school musical). Then she said they were actually due next weekend instead so she did not put them in the hatching incubator. This morning she heard chirping from the incubator they are developing in and when she candled the rest of the eggs she realized they are due today after all. We had moved a Silkie chick that hatched in the coop yesterday into the hatching incubator to warm it up so now it has a companion and it is not peeping so much.

I am expecting more Silkie chicks staggered through the week because they keep pulling fresh layed eggs under them so they are all started at different times. I am going to have my daughter pull in any eggs with tipped air cells so we can put them in the hatching incubator to hatch with the rest of the chicks that are hatching. As the chicks dry off and are strong on their feet I will move them to the stage 1 brooder.

We should have Orpingtons hatching soon so I wanted to give the black chicks to the Silkies to raise but I forgot that I eliminated black chicks from our hatches this year so I will be keeping most of our chicks in order to keep splash pullets and blue roosters. It looks like these hatchery Ameraucana chicks will be the ones I give to the Silkies after all so I can get my broody hens off the nest. I need to put a ramp on my Silkie coop for chicks, though, so they can go in and out on their own. I have a "nursery" I have moved them to in the past to get them started but the hen tends to kick shavings in the chick water so it was more work feeding and watering them with the hens than in the brooder.

 

[Duck Drover]

The deep orange color comes from the birds eating lots of greens and grass. Let them free range for a few hours before sundown each day, and you'll see the deep orange.
Feeding primarily feed or grains produces yellow yolks.

I used to think the orange yolks from our own chickens compared to the yellow yolks from store eggs was from the breed of chicken since we had colorful egg shells but it is because we have always let our chickens free range instead of keeping them in small pens. I never used to eat store eggs except to bake with them because they don't taste as good either.

 

[Duck Drover]

Yes we are neighbors! You have an impressive list of animal friends. My husband used to raise chicks commercially. Now he's retired and then brought home an incubator. So I got busy and began to study the subject. Wow! When those chickies began to hatch my enthusium went sky high. I was so glad that my neighbor wanted some more chickens. I'll be busy for awhile.

That hatching bug is something we grandmas catch pretty easily! My daughters are 9 years apart so my youngest daughter has allowed me to still have a daughter to mother even though I also have 3 grandsons. I just love the miracle of warming eggs for a few weeks to make baby birds.

I have been using the cheap Little Giant incubators for over a quarter of a century with good results but we built a cabinet incubator from a free oak cabinet in order to have more space to hatch duck eggs. Once I am on my feet after surgery we will run some test batches to make sure it works properly.

Our goal is to preserve breeds through hatching so I am selective about what I hatch. At one time I was buying alot of hatching eggs but after too many surprises from other people's flocks I mostly just hatch from our own. I don't want to have to get rid of mistakes so with our own birds I can work towards a quality product.

We originally got Silkies to use as incubators but my Little Giant styrofoam incubators are more dependable. The Silkies do a good job but I have mostly first time broody hens that have not perfected their hatching technique yet. Also, I just never get tired of seeing babies emerge from eggs and grow up to be lovely layers themselves.

 

[Chickielady]

This is the old girl.. Richard had me clean the front and back of my phone
pictures are not as blurry now

Well, a little wax job & she ought to be good as new.
We have 2, one is a very nice I/O pleasure craft, great for touring & skiing, it is a california boat...it is for sale was %$5K but I think Einstein would reduce price...the boat has been sitting tarped here for 5 years now ? We have taken it out a few times, but we like the little aluminum one for here in the river (or up at Mossyrock)

This is the "little" aluminum boat...we rebuilt the floor & just love the little boat it is so easy to take anywhere...we are looking tor a new trailer if anyone has one for sale, ours has got the rust BAD....Our water here is brackish, and the farther out we go it gets saltier. And we routinely go out into the Willapa Bay, which is about pure salt water. The boat launch in South bend is about 99% salt water...it will eat your trailer & wheels & bearings unless they are aluminum.
I want a small yard tractor, and an Alumaweld trailer !!

 

[Chickielady]

I am a pretty stubborn little german I don't let grass grow under my feet
much at all but my addiction to this site

We actually got the boat free
she does need seats and the spendy part an outboard motor

Is it an I&O or need an outboard ? The good part outboards easy to find out here & it is easy to finance a 4 stroke.
Our little 9.0 is great, unless we are in the bay, and the wind is blowing out to sea, and the tide is going OUT and we have to get back ASAP to the boat launch or else !
If you miss that window of oppurtunity, you have to hang around out in the river until the tide comes back in, or you cannot put out! Especially in a minus tide....

 

[Chickielady]

Anyone between or near Battle Ground down WA to Portland OR needing "spent grain". I'm planning to pick up 50lbs per week. This is more then our little flock can use... I will be more than happy to share for free. Message me if you are interested.

Penny - this forum help keeps me awake while working :0)

Dang, wish you/I were closer !
On the other hand, next trip to NorCal, or coming home from NorCal, maybe I can have Einstein stop by & pick up a bunch...what are you going to charge and it is dry & in bags, right ? So you can stockpile it up ?
I'd love some !